


Homesick

by thecutestprince



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, One Shot, i wrote this at 3 am, it is 3 am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:46:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecutestprince/pseuds/thecutestprince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They would see them soon, Haru thought to himself. Their sadness and loneliness would build up until the day that they could visit Iwatobi, and then they would feel relief, if only for a few days. But they would have to leave. They would have to leave, and that terrible feeling would set in again. It would weigh them down, make their chests ache and their nights long.</p><p>(a short little one-shot to kill your hearts.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homesick

Homesickness never really went away. They just became accustomed to it. The excitement of moving in gradually faded away, and replacing that feeling was a heavy one that made their hearts sink. They tried hard to avoid this feeling, but it wasn’t always avoidable. Nights were always the hardest. They tried to go to sleep, but instead they thought of the swim club, of Rei and Nagisa, of Gou and Ama-chan. Their chests ached, their throats closed, and their eyes burned.

It never really went away.

Academics provided relief for Makoto, and swimming practices did the same for Haru. Their days became a busy cluster of hours quickly passing by, all spent towards reaching their own goals. Since they lived in the same apartment complex, they saw each other frequently, now closer to each other than ever. The two would get together either in one’s room or at a coffee shop, and they would help each other out. Haru would help Makoto get through tough lessons, and Makoto gave Haru advice in approaching his training. But most importantly, they were there to give and receive the support they needed. Their work kept them busy, and they kept each other company, and they were distracted from how much they missed home.

Except, not always. Sometimes, the disease struck on lonely nights.

It was a Friday, and Makoto definitely had plenty of homework and readings to get through. But when his eyes began drooping and losing focus, he decided that going to bed was for the best. It was 12:30; he hadn’t even noticed it had gotten so late! He quickly brushed his teeth and, once the lights were out, crawled into bed.

He was so tired, he should’ve fallen asleep right when his head hit the pillow. Instead, he lay there, suddenly awake, suddenly restless. He couldn’t even keep his eyes shut. He tossed and turned, then settled on staring at the ceiling.

Unfortunately, his mind went to Iwatobi.

How were they doing? Getting new members was a tough challenge they faced when their club had first started up. Even convincing Rei to join was not an easy task. Were Rei and Nagisa able to find new members? Were they okay? Were they doing a good job?

‘Of course they were,’ Makoto thought to himself. He had complete faith in them. But if they needed him in the slightest, he’d feel better. It was selfish, but it would make him feel less… detached. The club still needed him…

He had to pull himself away from such selfish thoughts. Thankfully, his phone buzzed and lit up the room a bit. He reached for it and read the screen.

 _‘im at the door,’_ it read.

‘Haru?’ Why would he be here at this hour? But sure enough, he opened the door to see Haru, with tired eyes and blue striped pajamas.

“Can I come in.”

“Haru- I… sure?” He stepped aside and let him enter. After closing the door, he almost turned on the lights until he realized that Haru had climbed into his bed.

“Haru?”

“Just get in bed,” Haru mumbled.

Makoto stood there confused before laying down next to Haru.

For a while, they lay there in awkward silence, each mulling over something different. Makoto wondered silently what he should do, and Haru was trying to figure out how to stop acting so stupid.

He couldn’t figure out how to say what was troubling him. It was simple, really, but everytime he thought the words would come out of his mouth, his stomach dropped and he couldn’t say anything. So he lay there in silence, probably worrying Makoto, but he couldn’t help it.

It was always so difficult for Haru to say what was on his mind. He didn’t like bothering others, so he always tried to figure things out on his own. If he couldn’t solve the issue, he would just ignore it until it went away. But how could he ignore this homesick feeling? Sometimes he could. Maybe while he was in class, maybe while he was walking down the street. But that night, he couldn’t. The feeling would not let him sleep, would not go away. Nagisa’s laugh rang in his ears, childish and playful, and an image of Rei’s annoyed, blushing face would pop up in his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about the club and the meetings they would all have together. Gou and Ama-chan would often chat to themselves, and Haru would join in simply to listen.

 _“What do you think, Haru?”_ Gou would sometimes ask him, and Haru would reply to the best of his ability.

 _“... Maybe you should just tell her.”_ And she would go look at him with a deeply concentrated look, considering his short, yet apparently valuable advice. She liked it better than Ama-chan’s sayings, anyways.

God, he missed it all so much. But he didn’t want to say anything. He didn’t want to upset Makoto.

Suddenly, Makoto’s arms were around his waist, pulling Haru towards him. He nuzzled his face into his dark hair and sighed, his breath tickling Haru’s neck.

“I miss Iwatobi,” he said, so much sadness in his voice that Haru’s stomach twisted.

“Me too.”

“Is that why you came here? Did you get lonely?”

“Yeah,” Haru responded, put his hand over Makoto’s.

Makoto smiled softly. “I’m glad you came. It makes it a little easier.”

Haru turned around and kissed him, intertwining his legs with Makoto’s. Kissing him, his hands cupping Makoto’s face,  his cold feet rubbing against his warm legs, simply having him _there_ , it did make it all better. Rei, Nagisa, Gou, Ama-chan, they might be far away from him, but Makoto was here with him, feeling the loneliness that he felt. They both had to suffer that homesickness, but knowing that he didn't have to suffer that alone made it easier, less painful.

Kissing Makoto definitely didn’t hurt, either.

Makoto pulled away, laughing softly. Haru caught something in his laugh that made him frown. Then, he felt something on his thumb. “I’m sorry,” Makoto whispered sadly.

Makoto was crying. “What’s wrong?”

Makoto hugged Haru closer, snuggling into him and hiding his head in the crook of his neck. “You just make me so happy, Haru. Even right now, I can’t help feeling overwhelmed with how much I love you.”

Haru stayed quiet for a while. He pressed his fingers against Makoto’s back. “You don’t have to cry about it,” he mumbled, embarrassed.

Makoto laughed again, kissing Haru’s forehead. “I’m sorry. Homesickness is such a bittersweet curse, isn’t it?”

They would see them soon, Haru thought to himself. Their sadness and loneliness would build up until the day that they could visit Iwatobi, and then they would feel relief, if only for a few days. But they would have to leave. They would have to leave, and that terrible feeling would set in again. It would weigh them down, make their chests ache and their nights long.

It was definitely a bittersweet cycle.

“Yeah,” Haru said softly. But at least that night wouldn’t be so lonely.


End file.
